Friday, December 23, 2011

So I was out today buying Christmas presents for my friends at Bloomingdale's, and I was wandering around and came across the Deborah Lippmann nail polish line! I was so excited I decided to treat myself to just one. Recently I've been really into unique colors, especially when buying form pricey lines (these run at $16.00 a piece). So here is the one I chose,

This color is called "Lady Sings the Blues". Though in the picture it looks kind of purplish, its actually a navy blue, with big light blue shimmer flakes in it. It also as smaller silver sparkles in it, which really makes this nail polish that much more fantastic. This polish is perfect for winter and I would defnitley reccomend it. The way the shimmer flakes and sparkles reflect the light is really cool and makes this polish that much more exciting!

Having gone up north for the winter, it's probably 20 degrees colder and while I love the cold and the snow my skin always gets super dry. One of my favorite things to do around the holidays is wear brighter lip colors, but as some of you must know, brighter lips can show off how extreemly dry someones lips can really be. This quick tutorial is something that you can do in the morning before you do your lips and it keeps them silky smooth looking and moisturized throughout the day so you dont have to worry about dry, flaky lips!
You will need:

Toothbrush

Sugar

Vaseline (petroleum jelly)

Your favorite chaptsick (My favorite is the Shea Butter Mini's from Oyivo Exchange- you get lots of them so you can have one in your purse, backpack, etc.! They are also super inexpensive and keep your lips feeling smooth. You can check them out here! http://www.oyivo.com/store/products/Africa%27s-Finest-Shea-Butter-Minis.html)

Lip color of your choice (I recommend stains for everyday in the winter because they are much easier and they make your lips look a lot more natural. More products on your lips in the winter can just accentuate the dryness.)

First, you want to mix a little of the sugar with the petroleum jelly so that you get something that has a similar consistency to a lip scrub that you can get from Lush or Sephora. Next, apply the lip scrub to your lips and rub your lips with the toothbrush to get rid of all the dry skin. If this is too harsh for your lips you can choose either the sugar or the toothbrush to do the exfoliating. The benefit of scrubbing your lips with a toothbrush is that it allows more blood flow, yielding plumper lips. Once you have scrubbed all the dry skin off, wipe the remainder of the jelly off of your lips with a towel. Apply your favorite chapstick and let it sit for 5 minutes before applying your lip color. Finally, put on your favorite bright winter color, mine is the DuWop Twilight Venom (available at Sephora.)

Saturday, December 10, 2011

As much fun as it is to go out and be pampered at a spa, have your feet rubbed, and hands massaged, going out to get manicures and pedicures be pricey and over time can really add up. Last year I had the time to get my nails done once a week, however so far since the start of Junior year i have not been able to carve out time for a single pedicure or manicure. So I've had to compromise and start giving myself a lot more mani-pedi's. The one advantage to this is all that it gives me a reason to buy more nail polish.

In this picture are the things I think are essential for a good home DIY mani or pedi

The Essentials

* Nail Polish Remover

Q-Tips

Hand Lotion/ Foot Lotion

Tweezers

Nail Shaper

*Nail File

Nail Scissors

Cuticle Cutters

*Nail Clippers

Base Coat

*Top Coat

*Cotton Balls
Nail buffer

First off, the starred items are what I think are most essential for any at home Mani or Pedi kit. Let me also note that I did not get all of these things together in a nail kit, I bought most of them separatley at local drug stores such as CVS. However if your looking for a kit Sephora* has one for $30 that has all the nail tools you need for a manicure. Anyway here is my step by step Mani/ Pedi routine

1. Take off any nail polish you already have on

-Any drugstore brand nail polish

2. Apply Lotion,

-For my feet I use my Bliss Foot Patrol and for my hands I like to use my Caudalie Hand and Nail Cream (both products available at Sephora) (You can use any kind of lotion you want I just prefer these two) After applying lotion for extra nourishment I like to open a gel vitamin E table and rub it on my cuticles.

3. Cut nails and cuticles

-Depening on your preference for nail length you can skip this step. And of course only trim your cuticles (with cuticle clippers) if necessary/ if you have any to cut

-Because I like my nails very short I trim mine every time I paint my own nails or get my nails done

4. Shape and Buff nails

-For this step you will need a nail buffer(optional step) and nail file. Use the nail file first to shape your nails so they don't have any jagged edges, and then to shape as you like them, (boxed, rounded, etc..) Then use the nail buffer on both the nail edges and the top of your nails to smooth them and give them some shine.

5. Apply Base Coat

-Applying a base coat will just help your nail polish stay on longer and really stick to the nail. If you don't or want to buy base coat you can put some nail polish remover on a cotton ball and swipe that over the tops of all your nails to take away any oils so that your polish will apply well to the nail.

6. Apply any polish you want!

-When painting your nails, expecially with a new polish be sure not to apply to few or to many coats. Two few coats can leave the color sheer, and two many can make the polish look bulky.

7. Apply one coat of your favorite top coat!

-Top coat does it a lot of things, it makes your your nail polish last longer on your nails, keeps it from chipping, and adds shine. My favorite is Top Coat BY OPI.

-If your going to use a mattifying lacquer such as Matte About You by Essie, then skip the normal top coat and use that one in its place!

Since I first saw that Chanel had a nail polish line out I have been dying to get some of them, and couple weeks ago at Bloomingdales I finally gave into my indulgences and finally bought two. Which I am absolutely in love with. Though they are pricey ($25 a piece) these two colors at least were worth it. What I like about them is that they are not colors you see in every other brand. I think Chanel did a good job coming up with a line with an element exclusive uniqueness that other brands will have a hard time competing with.

"Peridot"

I literally started smiling as I started to write about Peridot. Since I bought this color I have been in love with it since before I even tried it on my nails. What drew me into this color was the fact that I couldn't really tell what color it is. This color is literally magical, when I first applied it (two coats) I was like oh its green-tinted gold, but then when i looked at my nails form a different they were blue. So when you hold your hands at different angles the color changes because it reflects the lights in different ways. I highly reccomend this color, I think it might limited edition so go grab it fast!!! I'm definitley going to get a second one because this color has already become one of my favorite new polishes.

"Black Pearl"

First and foremost let me make it clear that the name of this polish might be a little misleading, just incase the picture doesn't convince you, this polish is not black. Another example of Chanel producing a unique color worth the price. This color comes out a deep grey metallic color with a blue tint. This polish only needs two coats for a saturated look and dries almost like a matte polish. I would definitely recommend this polish to anyone looking for a new winter shade, or dark shade in general.

So when I was last at Sephora, I came across this collection of nail polish I hadn't heard of called Nails Inc. London. They had out some of their Special Effects nail polishes so i decided to grab two of the 3D glitter polishes.

"Sloane Square"

"Connaught Square"

Both of these colors to me just scream party, now when I say party I mean high school, college, concert or club type party, not for fancy events or cocktail party type events. Both of these colors need layers, for Connaught Square, I just applied two or three coats. However for Sloane Square I had to use a silvery base coat (OPI's Lucerne-Tainly look marvelous) for it to take full effect. Both polishes have lots of sparkles in them, which need cannot go without a topcoat because they dry kind of rough. If I were to recommend one of these to you guys I would definitely say Connaught Square the purple sparkles make the nail polish exciting and fun.

Here in D.C. it is starting to get super chilly! And with that cold weather, comes the dreaded dry skin and hair :-(. But have no fear, we beauty girls are here to help combat dryness!

So for the hair:
In the winter you want to be sure that you don't dry your hair out, and unfortunately using too much heat on your hair is the quickest way to do so. It's really best to let your hair air-dry, but what you're going to want to do is tame your hair while it's still wet- before it has time to get unmanageable and frizzy.

Using a leave-in conditioner will begin the process. Product weighs down your hair, so adding a leave-in conditioner will begin a straightening process to your hair and keep it from frizzing. Any type of leave-in conditioner should do the trick! Then, to give my hair an amazingly silky texture, I'm a huge fan of Chi Silk Infusion. I like to add the Chi Silk Infusion to my hair while it's damp to lock in its nice texture at this phase.

Then, while it's just about dry, I add my favoritephytodéfrisant botanical hair relaxing balm. Now this stuff is LITERALLY the bomb. My hair is naturally a little wavy and when I apply this stuff to my hair, it looks like my hair has been straightened!! IT'S AMAZING. So I just brush that through my hair. If my hair is feeling a little drier than usual I add my phyto 7 daily hydrating botanical cream. It adds much needed moisture and makes my hair much softer and healthier looking. Then for shine I reach for either my Moroccan Oil Gold Shimmer Shine Spray or Ojon Shine and Protect Glossing Mist. Can't pick a favorite- they both make my hair so so so shiny! Unfortunately though, I think Ojon discontinued their glossing mist (*cries*). Love both of those products so much.

And that should do it. Good luck bearing the cold- at least now your hair will!

Sunday, December 4, 2011

A few weeks ago I ordered the Urban Decay Naked Palette from Sephora.com. I've been obsessed with it since it came in the mail.

It retails for $48 pretty much anywhere that Urban Decay is sold (Sephora, Ulta, etc.)

The eye shadows are all so beautiful and perfect for a natural look to wear to school or a bolder look to wear out.

My personal favorite is Sidecar, which I usually darken up with a mixture of Naked and Buck in the crease and then a little Virgin to brighten up the inner corner of my eye.

From left to right: Virgin, Sin, Naked, Sidecar, Buck, Half Baked

From left to right: Smog, Darkhorse, Toasted, Hustle, Creep, Gunmetal

It also came with a mini bottle of Urban Decay Primer Potion (which is awesome) and a brush that works very well too. Anyone who loves neutral eye shadows should definitely get this! Even though it's a little bit pricey, it's worth it-- the shadows are unbelievably pigmented and soft!

Monday, November 28, 2011

Nothing can ruin your day quite like a pimple can. So, as a teenage girl, I have searched long and hard for the perfect quick pimple fix. It seems that I have tried everything- from the classic homemade remedy, applying a dab of toothpaste, to more legitimate ointments, such as Azelex. But nothing ever did the trick. Until now

One dab of Kate Sommerville EradiKate Acne Treatment and my pimple completely disappeared! I have been a long time fan of her skin care products, particularly her Daily Gentle Wash. And she has yet to let me down.

I applied a dot on each of my pimples before I went to bed. I must admit that it stung a little at first application, but that just meant it was working! I actually felt the pimples drying up. When I woke up the next morning all of my pimples were completely gone! By far the best disappearing act I've ever seen. This product is now my holy grail!

The only downside to her wonderful product is the price. This remedy is pretty expensive. But most definitely worth it! Just be sure not to mix the ointment with the sanitizer- they deactivate each other.

Some of my other Kate Sommerville products?
-Daily Gentle Wash: smells sooo good with hints of lavendar, makes my face feel oh so clean!
-ExfoliKate Gentle Exfoliating Treatment: I originally was a fan of the original ExfoliKate, which completely cleaned up my skin and was a great weekly exfoliator, but it's pretty harsh. the gentle exfoliating treatment is much gentler on the skin and won't dry you out during the winter!
-Purify Clarifying Cleanser: leaves my face feeling sooo clean. perfect for the morning because the minty scent completely wakes you up and makes your face tingle!

Hope that helps!

disclaimer: All of the thoughts and opinions are completely my own... I bought all of the products myself- but if Kate Sommerville did want to endorse us that would be amazinggg hahahaha. ;-)

Friday, November 25, 2011

So I during the break my aunt asked me to take my cousin to sephora to get her some makeup for Bar/Batmivahs, so of course while I was there I had to pick up a couple things for myself........

The Products!

MAC: Carbon Eyeshadow

I had been hearing about this product for a while, and I love lining my upper lid whenever i wear eyeshadow. I wanted to get a eyeshadow specifically for lining my eye's so i thought Carbon would be the perfect shade.(P.S. this was not purchased at Sephora)

Urban Decay: Pore Perfecting Complexion Primer Potion

I knew going into Sephora that i wanted a new face primer, because for me, my Laura Mercier oil free face primer made me breakout. So what really closed the deal with me on the Urban Decay Primer was the fact that it was "Pore Perfecting".

smashbox: Radiance

I honestly had no need for more blush, or purposely intended in getting a new blush. Seeing as that i am a blush addict I saw how gorgeous this color looked and just simply had to buy it. It is bright so you will need to use it in moderation and maybe spend an extra minute blending it.

Benefit: Dandelion(blush) & That Gal "Brightening Face Primer"

So I got these two products for free because I used my points to get a 500 perk gift. I was super excited because it came with a blush, and that day in the tore i had been deciding between buying Benefits "That Gal" face primer, and the Urban Decay "Pore Perfecting" face primer. So getting it with my points was like getting the best of both worlds!

Urban Decay: "Revolver"(silver) "Sabbath"(blue) "Eldorado"

I wanted some more variety in my eyeliner collection so I headed over to the Urban Decay section to check some things out. The first two things I got were Urban Decays 24/7 water proof liquid eyeliners. I had been deciding between whether or not to get the silver liner, and the gold liquid liner so i decided to get the gold (Eldorado) in pencil form.

Fresh: Soy Face Cleanser

So since winter is starting it's time for me to switch facial cleansers. I need a new facial cleanser because of how dry and cold the air is, which for me means needing a more gentle hydrating facial cleanser. So I would normally turn to my bliss Fabulous Foaming Face Wash but I wanted to try something new. So while standing in line viewing the to go size products I picked up this face wash.

This look is a warm neutral reddish look perfect for Thanksgiving and fall. Ofcourse these eyeshadows can be substituted in with any colors in your collection but I hoped this helped!

For the eyes, I started off by priming my lids with Benefit's "Stay Don't Stray" eyeshadow primer, and then as a base and to warm up my lids I applied Sephora's mousse blush in "Beige Pudique." This is a mousse blush, but I like to apply it when im doing a warmer look because it adds a peachy shimmer to my lids. I applied it on my lids with my finger and blended it into the crease so there was no harsh color.

Next, I applied MAC's "Woodwinked," eyeshadow all over my lid with an Ecotools flat shader brush. Any gold/bronze shimmery color will work- some good dupes are "Golden Bronze" by Milani, and "Cafe Ole," by Ulta.

Then I blended MAC's "Haux" eyeshadow into my crease with a Lancome crease brush, but any crease brush you have will work. "Haux"is a dark brownish gray with plum undertones however it shows up a lot redder when applied onto the eye then it does in the pot. To add more definition, I blended Clinique's "Coffee Shop" eyeshadow into the outer V and blended it into my crease but any chocolate brown will work.

As a highlight, I used my finger to apply Two Faced "Satin Sheets" in my inner corner and "In the Buff" on my brow bone with a fluffy brush to blend out the other shadows in my crease. Any light shimmery color with peach undertones will work, and as far as the brow bone shades can vary from person to person, but any matte shadow thats a couple shades lighter than your skin color is always a good choice.

For eyeliner, I lined my top lid with Urban Decay's 24/7 liner in "Zero" (black pencil liner) and I lined the outer corner of my bottom lash line and waterline with "Whiskey" (rich brown pencil liner.) I applied a generous coat of Maybelline Falsies mascara to finish off the eyes.

As far as lips and cheeks go, I went back to the Sephora "Beige Pudique" mousse blush and applied it to my cheeks with an angled blush brush. You have many options for lips but I like to go a little bolder if I'm going to a thanksgiving dinner or something like that. Because I was wearing this to dinner, I applied my Benefit "Benetint," which is just a red stain, and Wet 'n' Wild MegaSlicks Lip Gloss in #568 Bronze Berry to add a glossy finish.

Thursday, November 24, 2011

I love winter. The cold weather just makes me excited. And one of my favorite parts of winter definitely has to be the warm and rich colors that always seem to make an appearance-- whether they are on clothing or other mediums (face, nails, etc.).

After reading through countless magazines and looking at the photos from the fall and winter collections, I was inspired to experiment with these berry colors in a place I wasn't used to, my lips. I have always been about berry colored nails, dark purple is my go to color. I had never really been about a berry lip. I already have quite large and colorful lips, so I was concerned that "vamp-ing" it up would look totally overdone on me. But yesterday when I was at my friend's house, Benefit's Bena-tint caught my eye. I started dabbing it onto my lips and cheeks and I was amazed with the outcome. It created a lovely berry wash. It inspired me to pick up a berry lipstick from the drugstore and go home and play with it.

Heres what I found......

First I stained my lips with the cheap but effective Wet n' Wild Lipstick I picked up, in color 918 D (about $3)-- I don't go to enough fancy dinners or holiday parties to invest in a dark lipstick. I did by rubbing the lipstick on the back of my hand, "swatching it" to all of you beauty gals, and then taking my fingers and patting it onto my lips. This is a great way to apply lipstick because it really enables you to pack on as much as you desire. Then I took my index and middle fingers and lightly took some of the lipstick from the back of my hand and dabbed up my cheek-- continuing my obsession with berry tones. It gave me a great flush. I also think that you could skip this step and throw on a light dusting of a bronzer, like my favorite Laguna. When I got to the eyes, I had trouble making a decision on what to do, though I knew that I wanted to use stronger eyeliner than I am used two. I tested out two looks that both looked stellar.

For both I started off with a very neutral lid. I used "Shell" by Bobbi Brown to create a blank canvas. If you wanted to, you could also use a shimmery champagne color instead. You could also add a bright color to the inner corner to open up your eyes a bit. For the first look I used liquid liner and to thicken up my lash line and create a subtle wing. I used my NYX Studio Liquid Liner, but I would also recommend the Revlon ColorStay Liquid Eye Pen if you feel more comfortable using a felt-tip liner. I then curled my lashed and applied my favorite mascara of the moment, Maybelline Lots of Lashes. I thought that this look was great-- clean and sophisticated. Perfect for any holiday party. For the second look, I used my MAC 266 liner brush and an old dark grey/black eye shadow that I had lying around my house. I pressed the color onto my lash line starting at the middle of my eye. I did a little "cat flick" on my outer corner, and then used a big blending brush to soften the whole thing up. I once again used my trusty Maybelline mascara. To me, this look is a little bit more 'sultry' and would be great for a date or something along those lines.

Hope to see you guys rockin' this look sometime this winter.

Have a great Thanksgiving

xx

Some inspiration:

Diana Argon looks absolutely stunning here with liner and berry lip color. It looks like her lipstick was applied as a lipstick and not as a lip stain, but that is what makes this look glamorous enough for the red carpet.

P.S. I mentioned that I have an obsession with berry nail polished as well. Some of my favorites are William Tell Me About OPI (OPI), Manicurist of Seville (OPI), and Winter Wine (Milani). Keep in mind these are just some that I own, you can pretty much find a berry nail polish anywhere you look.

Sunday, November 20, 2011

So since it getting to be that time of year, I thought I would do a post about my favorite nail polishes for this winter, from my favorite nail polish brand OPI. Winter nail polishes in general tend to be darker shades. Sometimes to give my nails an extra wintery feel I'll use my Matte About you by Essie, in the place of my top coat to dull the shimmer of the nail polish.

My Top 5

'OPI INK'. It's going on a deep shimmery purple, you could get away with only applying 1 coat, and still get its full depth in color.

'Here Today... Aragon Tomorrow'. I never really thought i would i want to paint my nails green, but seeing as that my school colors are green and white i decided it might come in handy one day. However since I've bought i've fallen in love with it a little bit. It has kind of a matte finish to it, however the only downside is that you need to do a minimum of 2 coats, and maybe more for it to come out right on your nails.

'Yoga-Ta Get This Blue'. I like this color because you can use it in summer or in winter. It's a gorgeous royal blue with a light blue shimmer that is to die for. Two coats is all you'll need to be ready to go no matter the season.

'Lucerne-Tainly look marvelous'. I'd like to start off saying i have no idea what the name of this nail polish means. however what is most important is that I am IN LOVE with this color, it is a must have. It is PERFECT for winter, I recomend at least 2 coats, and maybe 3 for a deep rich dark silver shimmer. As you can see this metallic grey has a lot of shimmer to it, which is why I'm kind of in love with it. Not only does this color just look perfect when your wearing it but the shimmer makes it the perfect nail polish to wear to party's or other event in winter. I've been wearing it this past week and have not been able to stop looking at my fingers since I put it on. <3 <3 <3

'Road House Blue'. This color is just perfect for winter. It goes on VERY dark, and looks kind of matte. It's a deep purpley-blue color, and you can be done after just 1 coat. I like it because I never, and really do not black nail polish, but this color is like the next best thing for me.

Saturday, November 19, 2011

I am a sucker for warm, fruity scents- the more vanilla the better! I lovee a hint of jasmine too. For whatever reason scents just calm me and are instantly uplifting. Mmmmm.
So here are my current favorites:

Petite Cherie by Annick Goutal: This is my absolute favorite. I am honestly obsessed with this perfume- not to mention the bottling itself is so beautiful! It's really fruity smelling (w/hints of pear, peach, musky rose, fresh cut grass, vanilla). I love this scent!

Bellini- St. Barth Calypso: smells like the beach- yummm. I usually prefer to wear this in the summer though- it's really light. The high tones are apple, pineapple, grapefruit, and orange; heart notes are white peach, coconut, frangipani, cassis, freesia, jasmine, orange flower. If that even means anything to you guys haha.

Colette by Tocca: So for my mom's birthday I got her a Tocca candle in Colette, and I'm absolutely OBSESSED with it- I couldn't stop smelling it! My mom, sick of me stealing her bday gift, went out and got the perfume version of the scent. And it happens to smell just as good- albeit a little more vanilla-y than the candle itself. The scent is very sweet and smells most strong of vanilla. Yum.

Viva la Juicyby Juicy Couture: I actually just picked up this perfume yesterday and cannot stop spraying it everywhere. Smells AMAZING! I'm thinking this will be my winter scent. The website describes it as "top notes of wild berries and juicy mandarin gently tempered with honeysuckle, gardenia, and jasmine. Underlying it all are warm tones of amber, caramel, vanilla, sandalwood, and praline"- whatever the combination of scents is, the outcome happens to be delicious smelling.

Let us know in the comments below what your favorite perfumes are? Anything we should try out?

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

These two products are both Amazing, and when used together the results are awesome. I Apply the high beam as my highlighter and put it high on my cheeks, and then use the posie tint on the apples of my cheeks. The trick to using the posie tint is to make sure you rub it it in RIGHT after you apply it to your cheeks, otherwise it will not blend correctly. You can also blend the posie tint farther back below your cheek bones if you please, or in the place of wherever you would normally apply your blush.

So the best part of my week is always when I'm going out. But it's not why you may think.
I love going out because it means I FINALLY get to get all prettied up! It's the best. Getting ready is usually even more fun than going out itself- is that sad?

So here is my usual going-out beauty routine!

I don't really love how foundation feels on my face so if I need to brighten up my face or just a little bit of coverage, I turn to my fave Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer in Nude. It rocks- kinda makes my face glow! Then I put on the awesome high beam as a highlighter- except recently I've been OBSESSED with my Bobby Brown Shimmer Brick- it's SO GORGEOUS!! I actually use that as both a highlight and for eye shadow. It's the bomb.com. (and our girl Jackie actually gave it to me as a bday gift- SHES THE BEST). Then I contour a bit with my Bobby Brown Bronzer. And I lovee my Benefit Sugarbomb blush. So cute.

Now for the eyes:

So I usually line my upper lash line with my chanel eye kohl in either black or this really pretty midnight sparkly blue! Then for mascara I lovee my stila mascara except I probably should get rid of it as it's getting old and dry :(. And to keep my eyebrows in place I use quick brow! So easy. and then time for my favorite product in the world: Too Faced Natural Eye palette (but only after I prime my eyes with Urban Decay Primer potion of course!!). I don't use any of the set looks- I usually just mix and match with whatever colors I'm feeling. I LOVEEE honey pot- it's definitely my favorite. and silk teddy is really bright and goes on really nicely. If I could only have one eye shadow palette for my entire life, it would definitely be this. And that's about it!
xo, Samantha